KUWAIT: Ramadan is here and prices of foodstuff have gone up, albeit erratically. Many customers have noticed that drinks popular in Ramadan are dearer compared to the beginning of the holy month. Others have also complained of an increase in the prices of fruits and vegetables. This may be true in some places while it's not the case at others.
For instance, prices of vegetables at Khaldiya Co-op have not changed for the past two months, according to the research by Kuwait Times. The same applies for beef and chicken, whose prices have remained the same since May. But a worker at this supermarket admitted that the price of some drinks have increased, while those of sweets haven't.
Fathi from Ahmadi Co-op noted that the prices at their supermarket haven't increased during Ramadan. "We have special offers on selected items and for shareholders only. For instance, they can buy a pack of Tang for the cheap price of KD 1.890, and any additional piece will cost the regular price of KD 3.500. They can also buy a bottle of Vimto for 295 fils instead of 720 fils, and so on. So some people may think prices have increased, but it's not true," he told Kuwait Times.
The Shamiya and Shuwaikh Co-op held a special promotion with discounted prices last month. "During this festival, products were on special discount, so for instance Vimto was sold for 490 fils instead of 720 fils, Tang for KD 1.995 instead of KD 3.500 and many others. Starting from July 1, we returned to the previous original prices. There is no price hike - the prices are the same. We are not allowed to increase prices randomly without any reason," stressed Lutfi, a salesman at the co-op. People who noticed a price hike in certain items can file a complaint.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has launched a special department called the 'Price Control Department'. "Any consumer who has noticed a higher price of any item can go to this department and provide the bill. Then an inspector from the department will go to the place and check if this is true. Then the seller may be penalized.
We also have inspectors going on inspections on weekly bases to different supermarkets in all areas to make sure that there is not a price hike," said Nawaf, an inspector from the Consumer Protection Department.
Kuwait Times 2014
